I am writing this letter to you because I am truly fearful for our country, my own children and their children. The only way that I can think of combating this fear is to try and let people know what we have been learning about this past month.

In the last few weeks, we have attended a few meetings concerning theprocess of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas (fracking). Theinformation we obtained gave us some cause for worry, enough to writeour state legislators about our concerns. However, last night wedecided to watch the documentary recommended to us about fracking. Itis called “Gasland.” I am sure many of you have heard about it andmaybe a few of you have actually watched it. Until I saw this Oscar-nominated documentary, Ididn’t believe that water could burn.

We rented it through Netflix. My Husband actually didn’t want to watch itsince he thought it would be too depressing. It was more than that.It scared us enough to wreck our night’s sleep. Seeing this movie wasso much more enlightening than reading information in articles and onwebsites. I urge all of you to get your hands on it and watch it. Inour opinion, we are putting the entire country’s’ water supply andconsequently our food supply at risk. It has the real possibility ofbecoming the worst nightmare our country has ever faced.

So far the states that have been most affected are Pennsylvania,Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Wyoming and Louisiana. Thousands andthousands of these wells have already been drilled. And all of thishas occurred in one mere decade. However there are plans in the worksto drill wells in at least 34 of the 50 states.

These gas companies are exempt from most of our laws concerning cleanwater and clean air. The more than 500 hazardous (proprietary)chemicals, many of them toxic organics, are injected deep into theground. There is a real risk that they will get into the aquifers weuse for drinking water and for the irrigation of our crops.

There is not only the toxicity of the chemicals to worry about, butthe wastewater that is recaptured from the underground drilling hasbeen found to have radioactive contaminants. These radioactivecontaminants are released from the rocks deep underground and arebrought up to the surface in the drilling mud and in the natural gas.There is no way to scrub the radioactive gases from the gas. Everytime you light your stove, you are introducing radioactive gases intoyour home.

Due to the exemptions given to the gas industry, these gas companiesdo not have to act responsibly and they do not. The EPA is powerless.The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act exemptsthe gas industry from the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, SafeDrinking Water Act, and other “right to know” laws. The gas industrydoes not need to clean up toxic discharges from these fracking wellsites whether it is to the ground or to nearby streams. They don’twant to be bothered to clean-up their toxic sludge or any of the otherdamage they cause to the land, air or local water supplies. Whenpeople complain, the gas companies say “prove it” and “go find alawyer.” People who get sick and sue the gas companies are foughttooth and nail, and the last person standing is often bought-off and silencedwith non-disclosure agreements.

I know many of you don’t particularly like environmentalists; however,I urge to watch this movie for the sake of your children,grandchildren and the many American citizens who have already beenharmed by this process. If you watch it and feel there is no causefor concern, then you have only lost about an hour of your time. Forthose of you who feel the same fear we do, it is time to take action.One easy step we can all take is to write our State and Federalrepresentatives about our concerns. (email your State Representatives and Senators and Governor)

We all love this country both for its great beauty and diversityas well as the ideals we hold dear. Please do not consider this apolitical issue. It is one that will affect all of us.

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In addition to the valid concerns expressed in this letter, it is also worth noting that in Pennsylvania there is an outrageous gag order placed upon physicians who might try to counsel their patients about the deleterious health effects of fracking in their communities. From Physicians News Digest:

The law, known as Act 13 of 2012, an amendment to Title 58 (Oil and Gas) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, requires that companies provide to a state-maintained registry the names of chemicals and gases used in fracking. Physicians and others who work with citizen health issues may request specific information, but the company doesn’t have to provide that information if it claims it is a trade secret or proprietary information, nor does it have to reveal how the chemicals and gases used in fracking interact with natural compounds. If a company does release information about what is used, health care professionals are bound by a non-disclosure agreement that not only forbids them from warning the community of water and air pollution that may be caused by fracking, but which also forbids them from telling their own patients what the physician believes may have led to their health problems. A strict interpretation of the law would also forbid general practitioners and family practice physicians who sign the non-disclosure agreement and learn the contents of the “trade secrets” from notifying a specialist about the chemicals or compounds, thus delaying medical treatment.

The clauses are buried on pages 98 and 99 of the 174-page bill, which was initiated and passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and signed into law in February by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.

It is sad and infuriating to me that this kind of law could be passed. I can’t see how it is constitutional, and it certainly seems immoral. But even more distressing is the disregard we have for the environment and our own health.

I would urge you to learn more about this process since chances are it will be coming to a watershed near you.

• The Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to ambient smoke!

• If you smell even a subtle odor of smoke, you are being exposed to poisonous and carcinogenic chemical compounds!

• Even a brief exposure to smoke raises blood pressure, (no matter what your state of health) and can cause blood clotting, stroke, or heart attack in vulnerable people. Even children experience elevated blood pressure when exposed to smoke!

• Since smoke drastically weakens the lungs' immune system, avoiding smoke is one of the best ways to prevent colds, flu, bronchitis, or risk of an even more serious respiratory illness, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis! Does your child have the flu? Chances are they have been exposed to ambient smoke!